Connor Wood Finally Reveals What Really Happened During His Viral Jennifer Lawrence Encounter

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ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars" stars Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.

Connor Wood is finally addressing the moment that turned a chance encounter with Jennifer Lawrence into an internet sensation. And this time, he is making sure he pays attention.

The “Dancing With the Stars” Season 35 contestant has teamed up with Smoothie King to launch a new drink inspired by Lawrence’s now-famous comment about spotting him on New York City’s Eighth Avenue.

The collaboration, called “Connor’s Paid Me No Mind Smoothie,” arrived Thursday, Nov. 5, turning the comedian’s awkward celebrity encounter into a promotional moment of its own.

Wood Explains What Really Happened

The story began when Wood appeared in a BuzzFeed Celeb interview and revealed that Lawrence was his celebrity crush. The Oscar winner later responded with a comment that caught him completely off guard.

“I saw you on 8th avenue drinking a smoothie and you paid me no mind.”

Her remark quickly spread online, inspiring memes and plenty of reactions from fans. It also gave Wood a story he could revisit as his connection to the actress became a viral talking point.

Now, Wood is joking about what went wrong that day in a new promotional video for Smoothie King.

“I think enough time has passed that I can break my silence about what happened on 8th avenue that day,” Wood said. “I was preoccupied that day. I was distracted. I missed my moment. I dropped the ball.”

But Wood says he is ready to make sure history does not repeat itself.

“Not this time, OK, this time, I’m paying mind. I’m a changed man. I’ll never not pay attention again. My eyes are up. My mind is open. My body is nourished, right,” he said while holding the new smoothie.

The video then shows Wood walking around outside and looking much more alert. In one moment, a pedestrian recognizes him and calls out, “Oh hey, I saw you on 8th ave!”

Fans Love the New Collaboration

The drink itself also has some nutritional details for customers to consider. According to Smoothie King, the 20-ounce “Connor’s Paid Me No Mind” smoothie contains 26 grams of protein and zero grams of added sugar. It is made with whole strawberries and bananas, along with electrolytes to support hydration.

Fans quickly embraced the collaboration, with many praising the marketing team for turning the viral exchange into a real product.

“Shouldn’t JLAW get some % for this considering SHE SAID the viral quote?”

Another commenter suggested the campaign could have gone even further, writing, “They should have got JLaw to walk by in the background lol”

“give smoothie kings marketing team a raise because all of gen z is infact paying so much mind,” one fan added.

Others echoed the idea of including Lawrence in the video, with one writing, “Jenn walking in the back would have probably made this gold worthy.”

And at least one fan was already ready to try the new drink, commenting, “driving to smoothie king immediately.”

Although Lawrence has not appeared in the campaign, her comment is at the center of the collaboration. What started as a funny story about missing a chance to meet a celebrity crush has now become a smoothie with Wood’s name on it.